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Sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) thrive in good quality soil. Gardeners grow slips, or small sprouts, for later transplanting as a food garden crop. They may also sprout sweet potatoes indoors in water to grow as a houseplant. Sweet potatoes grow as perennials in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11, but are treated as annuals when grown for food. Although the plant will begin to grow without soil, the sweet potato will only continue to put on healthy growth if provided with soil.

Growing Slips

Sweet potato slips grow as small sprouts on a main tuber. Stacking the tubers in a bucket half-filled with water provides one method for forcing the tubers to produce slips. The water requires changing every two to three weeks. The sweet potatoes typically sprout within three weeks. These slips must be transplanted to soil to continue growing and to eventually produce a crop of sweet potatoes. Starting the slips about nine weeks before the last frost in your area gives them time to sprout and grow to a sufficient size for planting.

Transplanting Slips

Garden preparation before planting improves the productiveness of the sweet potatoes. A well-drained bed that receives six or more hours of sunlight supplies the best growing site. Compost worked into the top 6 inches of soil further aids drainage and provides nutrients for the developing plants. You must remove the slips from the old tuber before planting. Simply snap off each slip and remove the lower 1 inch of the stem. Plant slips 2 to 3 inches deep and space them 18 inches apart in a row. They grow quickly when provided with about 1 inch of water weekly, which is enough to moisten the soil to a 6-inch depth.

Sweet Potato Houseplants

Growing a single sweet potato into a houseplant usually begins with a glass of water. Stand the potato with its narrow end in the water. A ring of toothpicks inserted into the tuber supports it so only the bottom 1 inch of the tuber is submerged. The tuber produces sprouts from the top of the tuber within 10 days if it's kept in a warm area with indirect light. As the shoots grow, remove all except for the strongest three. Although the sweet potato grows quickly in the water, it will eventually die if it isn't moved to a pot filled with soil.

Potting Houseplants

A standard pot that is 3- to 4-inches larger in diameter than the tuber, with a bottom drainage hole, provides a suitable growing container. Any well-drained potting soil also works well, although a sterile potting blend for houseplants, which contains organic matter, minimizes disease concerns and supplies optimum drainage. When transplanting the tuber to the pot, remove all the toothpicks first. Fill the pot with only 2 or 3 inches of soil and carefully set the tuber inside so the roots don't break. Finish filling the pot with soil until the top of the tuber is just beneath the soil surface, sitting about 1 inch beneath the pot rim. The vine will continue to grow when placed near a sunny window and watered when the top 1 inch of soil begins to dry.

About the Author

Jenny Harrington has been a freelance writer since 2006. Her published articles have appeared in various print and online publications. Previously, she owned her own business, selling handmade items online, wholesale and at crafts fairs. Harrington's specialties include small business information, crafting, decorating and gardening.